In response to the increasing size and complexity of information systems, the trend in favor of being “a user rather than an owner” is accelerated, and cloud computing utilizing data centers has emerged and is in spreading use.
When using such a data center, a delay time occurs as the use of a network is involved on the way. Especially if the data center is in a distant location, the long-distance transmission via a public network that will be involved is very likely also to entail deteriorations in reliability and/or energy efficiency in addition to the delay time. One of the conceivable solutions to this issue is offered by the new information and communication technology (ICT) platform by which the position of information processing is altered closer to the user, but as information systems are already integral parts of business corporations and other constituents of society, it is difficult to replace all at once the currently used information system with the new ICT platform.
On account of this issue, a new ICT platform having a mechanism that permits seamless shifting to it while ensuring compatibility with an existing information system such as a data center is required. Thus, the technology to be embodied in such a platform should permit the address at the time of transmission unaltered to be transmitted to the new information processing apparatus and information processing position while keeping the existing system as it is. Known cases of related art enabling the delay to be shortened by altering this information processing position include the following.
For instance, JP-A-2002-312312 (Patent document 1) discloses a configuration by the use of which, when a user expressly requests information processing apparatus, such as a local server, arranged in a user LAN, to process execution of an application, if no pertinent application is found in the local server, a packet is sent to information processing apparatus such as a data center positioned outside the network and processing; execution of the application is requested.
Further, JP-T-2002-520735 (Patent document 2) discloses a system for use, in a situation where a large number of sites are in a decentralized arrangement in different parts of the country, in causing a domain name system (DNS) to so assign destination addresses that a response with an address closer to the area of the source of the information processing request can be given to facilitate referencing of an appropriate site by the requesting source.